improv 1 chromatic runs

stubla · October 2006

dennis wrote:

i'd also say that the recording quality of the time has a lot to do with tone as well!

Thats spot on Dennis!
I think the 'compressed' sound of the old ribbon microphones makes Djangos scales sound 'smoother'
Its noticable on those 2 great cds Fapy did with le Jazz where they recorded in the 'old' way.
And after all Django DID have the greatest pick technique of all time;Fapy and Bireli come close but Django is untouchable.
Stu

chip3174 · May 2007

You guys just need to quit yacking so much and play your gitane.... Django would have!

Wirralgitane · August 2007

a wrote:

are there any players out there today who make use of the full dynamic range like django did? most players have one high dynamic and one low. most of the time it is high. but, one of slick things that django does is he uses low dynamics on some really fast tunes. it a;ways draws me in.

Can you tell me abit more about Dynamic Range? i've herd this before, is it just your vocab on your instrument? as in you can play solo's in low, mid and high? Or is it just 'positions' that you solo in? i suppose thats the same thing.

I think its what works for you when it comes to cromatic runs. If you have the pick hand sorted, all the notes ringing out clearly then it shouldn't matter.

The recording has alot to do with Django's sound i think, its organic, these records record the enviroment, the vibrations, the feel in/of the air. Tension and release is something science can't understand. Atmosphere.
The art of recording. Using the right mics, i can get a better recording out of a dictaphone as opposed to cubase :?

Ken Bloom · August 2007

You can make full use of the dynamic range of your instrument in two ways, volume and tone. Volume is a simple matter of playing louder or softer. With tone it's a bit more complicated. Too many people plant there picking hand in one place and never move it. This gives up a lot of possibilities for expression. Play closer to the bridge, you get more edge and honk, play closer to or even over the fingerboard and the tone gets so much mellower. Combine that with the amount of finger pressure you use and whether or not you choose to use vibrato and you have a whole palette of sound to choose from. Django was a master at this as was Matelo Ferret. The genius here is choosing to use all the resources that you have in your hands. Each phrase can have more expressive value if you are thinking about tone and volume and don't spend all your energy on mere notes. Just my 2p.

Wirralgitane · August 2007

great ken, i understand this playing technique, its incorporated in my playing already, but in more different genres i just didn't know what it was called.
So many people can play a certain line, but i suppose without the feeling in the line it can make a run of notes sound not good but great.
I just didn't understand the technical term of dynamics i suppose. Wonderful anyway geeza.
I had a dream 2nights ago and Django was waving his hand above his guitar, like if a puppet was on the strings he was making him walk :? but he was mellowing the romance in his strings. Was good like, shame i never spoke to him. Maybe he'll pop in sometime again...